The selection of the proper method for the sanitization and deep cleaning of medical devices, such as surgical instruments, is always a concern. This is because many of those methods are not simple or economical.
Surgical instruments constitute a significant portion of hospital cleaning, decontamination and sterilizing requirements. The complexity of instrument design and nature of surgical soil compound the problems of surgical instrument processing. Surgical instruments usually have multiple joints, hinges, crevices, grooves, holes, cracks, or serrated edges which may harbor large amounts of soil. The soil itself is usually composed of protein or other organic material which often has been fixed in place by heat or chemicals. Furthermore, the necessity for decontamination of soiled instruments with a minimum of risk to the staff adds to the complexity of the problem.
Commercially available apparatus for preparing surgical instruments for reuse has required multiple handling steps and separate pieces of equipment. An example of a standard method of processing surgical instruments calls for placements of the instruments in a washer/sterilizer which has a cleaning phase which removes the gross soil and decontaminates the instruments with high temperature steam (normally 270° F.). Since soil which is not removed tends to be fixed in place by the steam, the instruments are then transferred to a sonic cleaner. Following sonic cleaning the instruments are terminally sterilized. This technique requires multiple handling of instruments and multiple pieces of equipment.
Sterilants are used in many areas, such as in the sterilization of laboratory, surgical, dental and other equipment. Since these chemical sterilizing agents or other chemical sterilizing methods commonly take six to ten (6-10) hours to be effective, it is customary in hospital practice to chemically sterilize instruments overnight.
Methods of sterilization involving either the use of pressurized steam, dry heat or ethylene oxide are common. However, some of these methods are cumbersome, tedious and time-consuming employing potential carcinogens often damage the sterilized material and require expensive equipment and skilled technicians. Moreover, steam or heat sterilization is impracticable for many plastic devices and delicate instruments which are sensitive to elevated temperatures.